1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a self-contained illumination device for containers and more particularly pertains to permitting illumination of difficult-to-read medication labels in low-light environments with an illumination device for medicine containers.
2. State of the Art
There are many occasions when an individual must wake from sleep, arise and take medications during the nighttime hours, when light levels are low. Medications, such as pain medicine, sleeping pills, antacids, migraine medicine, and medication that must be taken on timed schedules (e.g., four times per 24-hour period), among others, are often taken in the nighttime hours. Often, the individual requiring the medication has been asleep and thus is groggy and sometimes disoriented. The medication is generally contained in a medicine cabinet and/or a drawer in the bathroom, or in a drawer near the individual's bed, along with many other medications (which are increasing every year as many new drugs become available, and as the population of the elderly increases). When combined, the above conditions, e.g., low light and/or no light, multiple medications in one location, pain and sleepiness, can increase the chances that the individual will take the wrong medicine or dosage.
One method for decreasing the chance of taking the wrong medicine is to provide light so that the individual can accurately read the medicine container label. The most often used method for achieving this is by turning on a light-within the room (e.g., an overhead light in the bathroom or a desk lamp near the bed). This method has the disadvantage of causing further pain and disorientation, as the individual's pupils are most likely dilated due to the low-light level conditions and the sleep state. This method also has the undesirable affect of disrupting the sleep pattern of the individual, by bringing him closer to the state of awakeness, thus possibly further complicating the condition requiring the medication. Another less-used-method for providing light is to use some type of hand-held light, such as a flashlight or book-reading light, to illuminate the medicine container. Due to the direct, bright light of these devices, this method has similar problems as turning on a light, as discussed above. Additionally, this method is more difficult for the sleepy, groggy individual, as it requires two hands to examine the medicine container label and to open the container and retrieve the medicine. Further, flashlights and book-reading lights are often misplaced, have run-down batteries, and may not be in the correct location when needed. Finally, a nightlight may be used, but often these are not even available, or are situated away from the medicine container location (e.g., usually in an electrical outlet near the floor and/or near the toilet) and thus the patient must carry many medicine containers to the nightlight in order to retrieve the correct medicine. Again, this method is more difficult for the sleepy, groggy individual and offers the further danger of the individual falling and/or colliding with something in the pathway to the nightlight.
While these methods fulfill the objective of aiding the individual in retrieving the correct medication, it is obvious that they can exacerbate the original problem that caused the need for medication, or even cause further problems.
Therefore, from the above, it can be appreciated that there is a pressing and increasing need for a means to provide better illumination of medicine containers.